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Patel defends surgery on elderly patient

Christine Flatley

Former surgeon Jayant Patel has told a court he believed an allegedly fatal and unnecessary operation on an elderly patient was essential to prevent him bleeding to death.

Giving evidence in his manslaughter trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Wednesday, Patel said he was "pretty certain" Mervyn Morris was suffering from diverticular disease when he made the decision to remove part of his colon.

Mr Morris, 75, died of complications including heart and lung failure and septicaemia after the operation at Bundaberg Base Hospital in mid-2003.

The crown alleges the operation should not have been done because of Mr Morris's medical history, which included heart problems and possible liver cancer.

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However, Patel said Mr Morris had previously experienced two "significant incidences" of rectal bleeding and urgently needed the operation to save his life.

"If he had a third bleeding episode and it was significantly larger, he could become unstable and he could die from it," Patel said.

"This was an urgent operation."

Patel told the court he had a clear memory of Mr Morris, whom he described as a "polite and honourable man".

He said Mr Morris's face was partly paralysed from Bell's Palsy, but he rarely complained about his health.

"It's very hard for a surgeon to forget patients who have unusual complications or those who die during post-operative care," he said.

Patel told the court that in making the decision to operate he considered the risk of surgery on a sick and elderly man, balanced against the risk of continued bleeding without intervention.